Happiness is Leo Valdez
by Reading Books at Midnight
Summary: Set off right after Leo rescues Calypso at the end of Blood of Olympus. A little glimpse into the happy couple's adorable future and their love for one another.


I love this ship so freaking much and I am sure we all wanted MOAR!

This is what came in my head at 12 am 48 hours after finishing BOO! I could expand more on it if y'all liked it :D

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters or books

* * *

Calypso could hardly believe it. She was finally free. After three thousand years, she finally left Ogygia. She turned her head and sent a silent goodbye to her island, watching it grow smaller and smaller until it was a speck of green amidst the blue.

Leo kept laughing and whooping his genius mind that got them both out of their problems. She hung on more tightly to him, burying her face in his back. He smelled just as she remembered. Smoke and machinery. Oh. how she missed it!

"Are you okay?" Leo asked her with a hint of worry.

"Yes, yes. I am more than okay. I just… I can't believe this is real!" she laughed feeling as if she was in a trance.

She could feel his smile as he put his hand over hers.

They flew a few more minutes in silence. She felt he was giving her time to adjust to all of this and her love for him grew even more. Underneath them the blue sea was shining and shimmering and she had a wild thought of sliding off Festus and dropping into it. Just because she could.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Leo taps on Festus' head gently.

"Festus has a broken leg and I can sense some of his wires are loose. We're landing in the nearest land we can find, fix him up and then wherever you want to go, Sunshine."

She secretly loved it when he called her that.

His shoulders drooped just a bit, and she could feel his muscles lagging.

"Leo?" she asked.

He turned his whole body, so he was facing her, grinning all the while. But she could see the lines under his eyes, the red tinged vessels in his eyes, the beads of sweat breaking on his forehead. She immediately pressed her hand over his forehead.

"You're burning up!" she demanded.

"Naturally, I am Leo Valdez also known as Flameboy and Hot Stuff."

"No. This isn't it. You just came out of a battle, dead and now back alive. You've been running on adrenaline this whole time. You need to rest."

He tried to protest but suddenly leaned forward his head resting on her shoulder, going completely slack. She hugged him close, feeling protective and pressed a kiss to his curly hair.

"Festus! We need to find land fast!" she told the bronze dragon.

Festus creaked something that she took as an agreement.

Soon enough, she could see land in the horizon. Festus landed them in a central park with many cafes and restaurants surrounding it. Thankfully the park was empty and even if it wasn't, Calypso didn't worry about any humans noticing them thanks to The Mist.

She dragged Leo to the grass and laid him there then flung open one of her suitcases, took out one of her dresses, balled it up as a makeshift pillow and put it under his head. She knew he wasn't running a fever. He was just tired and needed to sleep which made her breath more easily.

Festus tucks his massive head beside Leo in a defensive stance. Calypso hoped that with Gaia gone other monsters would be hiding away just for the meantime collecting their wits.

"Alright. I'm going to get us some food from the restaurant." She said to Festus. "You keep an eye on him and if anything tries to kill you two call me, okay?"

Festus groans mechanically.

Calypso had packed some money that her invisible servants got for her. She still didn't know which land they were on. The people around her were speaking Spanish. Calypso knew every language in existence. Well, most languages. She only had three thousand years to learn them! She concluded they were on the coast of Spain, probably Murcia, judging by the signs and direction of the sea.

She ordered five turkey and cheese sandwiches, fresh juices and even found Tabasco sauce in the adjacent grocery. She was pleased with her flawless Spanish accent that the cashier complimented her on.

" _Gracias_." She said smiling prettily and skipped out of the shop.

Leo was stilling sleeping, snoring softly and muttering a few words here and then. Something along the lines of "Get off my wheels" and "No you're stupid". She laughed quietly and then blushed beetroot when he murmured "Calypso" three times.

She ate two sandwiches, taking in the view of beauty in front of her. She hadn't seen so many people in… well… in a very long time. It was as if she had been blind all her life and now for the first time she could clearly see.

She laid on her back, snuggling close to Leo, watching every breathe fall in and out, the peaceful look, the laughing creases, everything and soon enough drowsiness also overtook her.

When she opened her eyes slowly she found herself looking into Leo's awake ones which were so close to her, they were almost nose to nose. She yelped jerking backwards and Leo burst into laughter.

"Good morning!" she huffed, sitting up and patting down her clothes.

"More like good evening." He said, composing himself from laughter pointing towards the sun that was already sinking.

"How long were we asleep?" she asked guilty.

"I'm not sure." He admitted. "By my guess, four or five hours. Boy I really needed that sleep! I feel as fresh as ever!"

The streets were slowly emptying with families and were being replaced with couples and young people who were about to enjoy the night.

"What should we do now?" Calypso asked.

Leo was already on his feet, pulling out tools from his belt and was hammering away on Festus.

"Just give me a bit of time, I'll get Festus good as new and then you decide what we do."

He peered over Festus and noticed some sort of a rundown garage that was still open. His eyes gleamed.

"Calypso could you please run over to that garage and get me a humidifier, a tire and wax. Oh wait, we need money. Dang it, I forgot about that!"

Calypso jumped to her feet, waving her purse.

"Don't worry. I have us covered." And she ran to get him what he needed.

Within an hour, Festus was gleaming from his new polish and was creaking happily with his new leg and right wires.

"There! All done! Look at you! All shine and beauty!" Leo exclaimed admiring his handiwork.

Festus croaked a reply.

"I love you too, buddy. Now, I need you to hide somewhere where no one can see you, alright? I'll call you when we need you. And here take some Tabasco sauce with you!"

He threw it for him and Festus lunged for it before taking off into the dusk.

Leo turned towards Calypso, that mischievous grin of his arresting her senses.

"Now, where were we?" he asked, grabbing her waist and pressing her close to him.

"Somewhere along the lines of kiss me." she replied, breathing him in.

He hummed in agreement before capturing her mouth in a kiss. A thrill surged through her. The last two kisses they had were fully initiated by her. This was the first time he kissed her and she couldn't get enough of it.

He broke it off after a few minutes, but she could tell it pained him to do so.

"As much as I do not want to stop kissing you." he said his voice slightly raw. "My Spidey or demigod senses are tingling. Where are we? Why haven't we been eaten by evil monsters because it has been all day and they're late. Also, I am starving."

She giggles.

"We're in Murcia, on the south coast of Spain. As for the monsters, I think Gaia's death hit them pretty hard and they're nursing themselves or whatever. I have sandwiches and juice."

She pulled away from his embrace and felt the cool air attacking her bare skin. Leo being made of fire and all, was the perfect boyfriend to have if you needed a set of strong warm arms.

"Well, I'm not complaining." He said wolfing down his sandwiches in mere seconds and then dunks down the juice whole. "I say, let them hide as long as they want, far, far, far away. We all deserve a break. Even naughty monsters. Though I guess Santa won't be leaving them any presents this Christmas."

Calypso watched him with fascination. He was so different to all the heroes she had met and she understood why this one, this one in particular stood out and would always stand out. He was just so pure. So innocent. Despite the battles he had been in. Still, life in his eyes was there. He wasn't callous or demanding. He didn't mind his p's and q's. He wasn't stiff and annoying. He wasn't a seasoned officer or a by the book prince. No. He was more than that. He was Leo.

He caught her smiling at him.

"What?" he asked. "Is there something stuck in my face again?"

He quickly dabbed at his face trying to get rid of whatever invisible thing was there.

"No." she laughed softly, taking his hand in hers. "No. You're perfect."

A blush coloured his tanned cheeks and he looks away.

"I'd like us to walk and talk." She said to him. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

He nodded, and she lead him towards the crowds of people who were dancing the night away.

* * *

She was finally caught up with the whole story of Gaia's defeat, but she was sure it wasn't as funny as Leo described it to her. Especially the parts where he mimicked Gaia and the Titans' voices. He had her doubling up with laughter.

Their walk ended by the beach where they stretched out on the sand side by side watching the stars. She would have thought that a lifetime surrounded by only the beach would make her hate it, but she didn't. The beach was one of her favourite places in the world. It gave her Leo, didn't it?

He leaned over her hesitantly, not knowing what his boundaries are.

"Yes?" she asked him, smiling. He was too cute for words. All that fumbling and blushing.

"May I…" he began stammering. "I mean… could I… I don't want to sound so pushy… I just… I was thinking…"

"Leo, just say it!"

"Can I touch your freckle under your eye?!" he blurted out and his nose burst into flames. He tapped at it furiously and sunk back on the sand, humiliation washing over him.

Calypso laughed gently, before leaning over to him and pressing her nose against his cheek.

"Leo, you are a wonder! Of course, you can touch it! Though I must say, that's the first time I've heard someone asking that of me."

Even though Calypse had fallen in love with all the heroes who washed up on her shore, she was still a shy girl at heart. Her only strength right now was because Leo was even more embarrassed than she was.

He opened his eyes and lets out a sigh.

"I…" he began. "I have never had a girlfriend. I know, I know. You're asking yourself how?! The Hot Stuff McShizzle with no ex-girlfriend? It doesn't make sense but unfortunately, it's true. Which is why all of this is very, very new to me. I'm scared I might mess things up."

Calypso wanted to comfort him and she was thinking she probably should tell him about her past loves as well. She didn't want to begin this beautiful thing with Leo on a hidden past that would most definitely be murmured about wherever they went. He'd know some facts sooner or later.

"Leo… first off, there is no way you could ever ruin this. This is new to me as much as it is to you!" she said, picking on a stray lint on his shirt. "I want us to be fully at ease with each other. I want you. And I want you to be you. You can kiss me, touch my freckle and believe me when you do that, it's like I swallowed a bottle of ambriosa."

She could see happiness gracing his features and was scared of what she had to say next. She didn't want to see that smile vanish.

"But… uh… you know me. You know my stories. I am famous in this world and in Olympia because of all the heroes that come to my island. And… and I have fallen in love with them. Like Percy. And Odysseus. But… I don't want you to think that you're competing with them. At all. Never. And um… the thing is… some heroes they stay a couple of weeks and some stay years. Percy was there for two weeks I think. But… Odysseus. He was with me for seven years before he left for his wife and child. And I knew that. I knew he had a family and yet I just… I… But it doesn't matter to me. He doesn't matter. Leo, if they were to show up here. All the heroes even Odysseus and Percy and they begged me to take them back, I would never even think of it. Those loves were fleeting. I was alone and sad and desperately wanted anyone, anything… just to feel alive. All those relationships began on a stupid fantasy. But you… you are real and beautiful and oh so human. You, for me, are the real hero. And this is my past. I just think you should know that. I didn't want you to go on with me without knowing that and then feeling like I deceived you."

She closed her eyes waiting for the words that would break her heart. Instead she felt warm fingers trailing under her eye, over the freckle he wanted to touch.

She opened her eyes and found a rare gentle smile on his face.

"You think I didn't know all of this?" he said. "Calypso, I accept you and your past. You're entitled to it. Who am I to deny that part of you? Don't think I jumped into this blindly. I couldn't care less except if I ever do meet Odysseus in the next lifetime I might kick his ass and shake his hand. His astrolabe helped me find you. Besides, I don't think it was meant to work for him because it was waiting for me. I am just sorry you had to wait three thousand years until I came along."

Calypso shook her head and took his face between her hands.

"I would do it all over again if it meant I could be with you." she whispered, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips.

A strangled sigh escaped Leo's throat and Calypso laid her head back on the sand with Leo's arm over her head, his fingers curled through her hair.

"You have no idea how hard it is not to burst into flames right now." he said, squeezing his eyes shut trying to concentrate on not burning Calypso.

She giggled softly and brushed a curl out of his forehead. She could see the constellations above his head and listened to the comforting sounds of the sea's waves.

"Focus on me." she told him quietly. "Focus on me and everything beside you. Let your heart race and calm it down. It's all right if your nerves stand on edge but also let them sleep. Trace your hands over my arms and my freckle. I am here and I am not going anywhere."

"Sunshine." He said. "You are way out of my league."

"Shhh."

She beckoned him closer to kiss her and he does. Time might as well stop because Calypso couldn't bear for anything else to happen. She wanted to stay like this between Leo's arms. His fingers wrapping her hair between them and his other hand tracing her cheekbones up and down. Her arms were hugging him close to her, feeling the muscles under her palms rumble. She heard him enough times calling himself a scrawny latino boy. But she couldn't see it. Sure he wasn't the muscular body builder type expected of heroes but he was well built for his height. His biceps used to flex when he was working back in Ogygia. His stomach was flat with a decent abs protruding, his collarbones were to die for and she loved the way he would spend hours hammering at his inventions even though it looked exhausting. Scrawny was an exaggeration.

His lips soft against her skin, trailed up towards the famous freckle and he kissed it. She felt heat radiating at that spot, but she wasn't sure if it was just her bodies reaction or Leo's abilities reaching their breaking point. At any rate, he seemed to be in full control of himself so there was no danger of her being roasted alive.

He peppered kisses along her jaw, down her neck, ending it beside her ear.

She gasped and laughed.

"Are you sure you've never had a girlfriend?"

He pulled back a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Babe, this is all raw natural talent you see before you. Just the way I'm made. To please the ladies. I mean, to please one lady. One. Just one."

She tapped his face lightly.

"What am I going to do with you, Leo Valdez?"

He shrugged.

"I could make a list."

"Sounds about right."

Happiness, Calypso thought. Happiness.


End file.
